Swiss demographer debunks the anti-immigration initiative; unemployment in Switzerland is as high as during the Covid pandemic; plus other news in our roundup this Tuesday.
Swiss demographer debunks the anti-immigration initiative
With its ‘No to 10 million’ initiative, the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) aims to prevent Switzerland from reaching 10 million inhabitants.
But according to demographer Hendrik Budliger, this threshold may never be reached due to aging population and steadily declining birth rates.
“Net immigration remains high today, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the case,” he said in an interview with Swiss media. “Immigration is heavily dependent on the economic and geopolitical context. I consider the low-growth scenario more realistic. I don’t think Switzerland will ever reach 10 million inhabitants.”
The current unemployment rate is almost as high as during the Covid crisis
In the first three months of this year, 266,000 people were unemployed in Switzerland, according to new data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
The unemployment rate has risen from 4.7 percent in 2025 to 5.2 percent at present..This represents 26,000 more people without jobs.
This is the highest level since the start of the Covid pandemic in 2021, when the rate stood at 5.8 percent.
The FSO pointed out, however, that even with the increase, Swiss unemployment rate is still generally lower than in the EU, including in neighbouring countries.
READ MORE: The companies in Switzerland that are cutting jobs in 2026
And now for the good news:
Swiss economy is growing strongly despite challenges
Despite the oil price shock and tariff turmoil, the Swiss economy has performed well so far this year.
According to the preliminary estimate published on Monday by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2026, compared to the same period last year.
Both the industry and services sectors contributed to the current growth, SECO said.
Public transport projects drive up rents and property prices
A new analysis by real estate consultancy Wüest Partner shows how massively large-scale transportation projects in major Swiss cities are increasing housing costs in those areas.
In cantons of Zurich and Geneva, for instance, rents in the municipalities served by rail lines are 7.4 percent higher than in comparable areas without a public transport expansion.
And property prices in the served municipalities were 6.8 percent higher than in the comparable ‘unserved’ locations.
READ MORE: How a cross-border train has pushed house prices up in Switzerland and France
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